


You're Hiding (Underneath the Smoke)

by Daiako (Achrya)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Brotherhood Ignis, M/M, Older Noctis, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 21:24:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10396488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Daiako
Summary: Ignis is 19, poor, and living in a shoebox when he gets a job offer at Lucis Technology. He's 19, slightly less poor, and still living in a shoebox when his boss, Mr. Caelum, starts giving him expensive gifts.“His dad was always busy, like Noct is now, so he was never around but he always sent gifts. Noctis thinks a diamond necklace and flowers makes up for never being around and replaces all the squishy feeling shit. Luna wanted someone who didn’t try to pay to keep her around.”“Ah.” Ignis said, fingering the platinum skull pendant hanging from his neck. It seemed much heavier all of a sudden.Gladio watched him with knowing eyes. “Yep.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SailorWaved](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorWaved/gifts).



> Someone on tumblr wanted some older Noct+Brotherhood Ignis, Sugar daddy stuff and well. It gave me ideas. I don’t know if this is what they had in mind but here we are.

Working at Lucis Technology was, for a nineteen year old university student, a dream job. When Ignis saw the posting online he basically dropped everything he was doing to spend money he didn’t actually have on a decent suit, resume copies, a haircut, and a taxi to Lucis Energy, the parent company where the job fair was being held. He didn’t expect a lot, being a student whose current job experience was librarian’s helper, but he hit every booth, smiled and nodded, answered questions as they were put forth, and took some manner of incredibly involved personality assessment he was positive he’d done well on.

He even got to shake hands and speak briefly with Regis Caelum, current owner and CEO of Lucis Energy and everything under it’s umbrella, and Noctis Caelum, heir to the company and head of Lucis Tech. They seemed to be speaking with everyone, cursory ‘thanks for attending, I hope you find a place among us, thanks for attending, what do you think Lucis Energy can do for you?’ platitudes but it was still as exciting as anything else Ignis might have done that day. Given the choice between cleaning his shoebox apartment and paper writing and meeting the most powerful men in the country at least the latter made for a good story.

Not that he really had anyone to tell the story to.

Plus there had been breakfast and lunch provided and Ignis was a fan of a free meal. He made due on a perfectly healthy, and in his hands varied and yes delicious, diet consisting of rice, beans, lentils, eggs, oats, and whatever fruit and vegetables were on special but it was nice to get something outside of that sometimes. Even better if he didn’t have to pay for it considering his considerable budgetary constraints.

Which was to say he was barely scraping by and every month was a game of ‘how long can I put each thing off without it being a problem so I can pay this other thing’? He had to make every gil count and make sure it was all accounted for. Splurging like he did for the job fair made things extremely tight.

He could only hope would workout to be worthwhile. Two weeks passed without hearing anything and he’d been about to chalk it up as a loss when the call came. A follow up interview at Lucis Tech for a personal assistant position if he was interested.

He didn’t remember talking to anyone about being someone’s PA but that didn’t keep him from jumping at the chance. He wore the same suit with a different tie and trimmed his own hair for the occasion. He interviewed with three different people, two men and a woman, all with dour expressions and wearing expensive suits, talked himself up but not too much, smiled but not too much, tried to be personable (something he was admittedly hit or miss at) and enthusiastic without being over the top. They left him alone briefly then returned with a job offer that included a salary that promised he’d no longer be playing a modified shell game with his bills, plus the promise of considerable benefits.

He accepted, was told to come back monday looking nice ‘but no need for a suit’, and left with no idea of whose assistant he’d become. He told himself that night, as he flopped onto his couch with a bowl of rice and vegetable soup and began a paper for his GeoTech class, that it didn’t really matter who his boss was.

Of course it was say that when you didn’t know you were going to be the PA for Noctis Caelum. Which is what he was. He showed up right after his lectures that Monday to find one of the men who’d interviewed him, Gladiolus Amicitia: head of security, personal bodyguard to the younger Caelum, ready to give him the rundown and help him through his duties for the first few days.

Duties that, essentially, were ‘Do whatever Mr. Caelum asks of you’. And he did.

Noctis Caelum was a lot of things, as far as Ignis could tell. He was not just respected but genuinely liked (loved, perhaps) by everyone that worked for him. He had an ability to find the best and brightest, somehow always knew just what to give them and where to place them to bring out the best in them, and he rewarded them accordingly. He got things done, somehow managing to sway people to his side in nearly all situations and not just on his side, no. He made people believe in him and what he was doing, got them to give him their unquestioned loyalty. He was intelligent, had to be to be as involved in the dozens of projects the company had a hand in, and seemed genuinely kind, interested in the lives of those around him as well as improving the city that shared a name with the company.

He was, by all outside appearances, a great man and Ignis supposed that he agreed.

It just so happened that he was also a thirty year old man child who couldn’t do anything outside of the office on his own and that was where Ignis came in. ‘Do whatever’, it turned out, meant ‘do everything’ for a man who might not have known his first name or, perhaps, just enjoyed calling him Specs and Speccy.

They gave him a company car, a sleek black one that Ignis was almost afraid to touch let alone drive, so he could take Mr. Caelum wherever he needed to go. They gave him an upgraded phone (on the company’s plan), computer, and tablet so he could look after Mr. Caelum’s schedule at all times, as well as making the schedule from there on out, so he could take calls from everyone from Mr. Caelum’s friends to people who worked directly under the man to Regis Caelum on a few rather awkward occasions occasions. He was the one who spoke to the heads of the other company divisions that Noctis was slowly starting to oversee, to prepare him to run the company, and looked over proposals and requisition reports and decided what actually went to Mr. Caelum. He wrote reports too, took notes during meetings then typed them up for easier viewing, filed things (and turned physical files into digital ones when there was time) and sent of emails ranging from professional to semi-friendly to ‘I did not need to know Ms. Nox had a new lover’.

He had a key to Mr. Caelum’s penthouse so he could clean, cook, do laundry, run dry cleaning around, and attend to other various domestic tasks, as well as pick up things that had been forgotten. He did coffee runs, food runs, picked out offensive vegetables out of food on occasion, and even went to a few lunch meetings in his boss’ place. He was on call nearly all the time; the only time he could be certain to not be bothered was during lectures and labs and he was half convinced that was because he’d set up Mr. Caelum’s phone to flash a ‘Ignis is unavailable right now’ alerts every twenty minutes during those times.

When Regis suddenly passed away and everything went to hell the workload increased. Ignis arranged a funeral, talked to old friends and business associates to arrange hotels and cars and even helped a few write speeches, coordinated board meetings, arranged for Mr. Caelum’s things to be moved to the main building, figured out who to install at Lucis Tech in his stead, and sat up to quietly read while his boss worked through more sleepless nights than he could recall.

Three weeks after the funeral and he had to admit that he was tired. Really tired, down to the marrow of his bones and dreading getting out of bed some mornings tired. Which was how it happened.

It started when he stumbled while bringing Mr. Caelum a fresh cup of coffee and ended up pouring onto the older man’s suit jacket. Luckily there hadn’t been injuries but, less lucky, it was brand new suit, freshly tailored and delivered, in a lovely deep blue that accented the man’s eyes, for Ravus Nox’s engagement party that very night. Mr. Caelum had been trying it on to see if it needed any last minute alterations and, of course, Ignis had poured scalding hot coffee all over a jacket that might have cost more than three or four months of his rent combined.

He’d started apologizing immediately, all but torn the jacket off of his bemused looking boss while swearing he’d have the stain out by that night. Dry cleaning, he’d insisted, might not have it done in time. Besides, he wanted to shorten the sleeves a little anyway. Mr. Caelum relented and left him to it and that should have been the end of the problem.

Except in silent warmth of Mr. Caelum’s penthouse, sitting on the sinfully comfortable couch (Ignis slept on a futon and often wondered if just sleeping on the floor would hurt his back less.) in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top he’d borrowed from his boss’s room because his own clothes were also coffee splashed, he made another mistake. He’d scrubbed egg yolk into the stain and rinsed it, was waiting for it to dry a bit to see how it looked, when he fell asleep. And stayed asleep until he was shaken awake by, of course, his boss.

His very concerned looking boss who was leaning over him, face so close that Ignis could clearly see the dark shadows around his eyes that hadn’t been there a month ago. There were lines, between his eyes and at the corners of his mouth, that hadn’t been there before too. They made him look softer, in a way that was hard for Ignis to quantify.

He hated things like that.

He wasn’t unaware that his boss was attractive. The shaggy black hair and facial hair weren’t the most professional of looks but they suited the man, went well with the square jaw, a full mouth that always looked on the verge of pouting, and narrow eyes. He was nicely built too, a little shorter than Ignis, more narrow, but possessing a very real physical strength that translated to defined muscles, usually hidden away by his suits but sometimes seen when Ignis picked him up from the gym or time with his personal trainer (slash bodyguard slash head of security).

Yes, Ignis was aware that Mr. Caelum was nice to look at but in the dim light of the apartment, with only what weak orange light filtered through the curtains from setting sun to see by, he seemed to be nearly glowing. The hand shaking Ignis’ shoulder found it’s way to his face, brushed against his cheek.

The world was hazy, almost dreamlike, around them. The quiet of the apartment, the faint orange light, the rough hand on his face, the thoughtful look of Mr. Caelum’s face; it all rolled together to make everything seem almost surreal and delicate.

“You’re asleep. In my apartment.” Eyes dropped away from his face to rake over his body. “In my clothes…they seem to be a bit tight on you.”

Ignis was certain this was the most embarrassing moment of his life. “I…my clothes were-”

“You must be tired.” Mr. Caelum’s voice was hushed and slow, as if Ignis was still asleep and he wanted to keep him that way. “I’ve been calling all afternoon.”

Ignis shot a look at his phone and indeed the notification light was pulsing incessantly. “I’m sorry sir. I don’t-”

“It’s fine.” Lips quirked up into a grin. “You’ve been working hard lately, no surprise you’re worn out. I should have noticed.”

He shook his head. He knew he should get up, get some distance and get his professional face back on, but some part of him wanted to stay where he was. The worry in Mr. Caelum’s eyes was…flattering. No one ever worried about Ignis, a byproduct of there being no one who could worry about him, and certainly no one who looked at him with such emotion in their eyes. Hell, he didn’t even really have friends aside from Prompto, in the mailroom, and Gladio’s sister Iris over in IT.

But here he was, staring up at his boss as a rough thumb trailed over his skin. “Sir.”

“You should be in my bed.”

Ignis sucked in a breath through his teeth, stomach fluttering. “Pardon me?”

“My bed.” Mr. Caelum repeated, smiling slightly. “It’s more comfortable than the couch. I’ll be staying up working and you need the sleep so. Use the bed.”

His hand slipped away and Ignis felt the loss of heat acutely. He swallowed, watching uncertainly as his boss walked away towards the hallway that lead back to the rest of the apartment. He waited for a moment then unfolded himself from the couch to follow. By the time he got to the hallway his boss was already in his office, lights on as he situated himself at his desk.

“What about the party?”

“I sent Gladio. Told him to tell Ravus I’m simply useless without my assistant, who had suddenly taken ill.” Ignis was temporarily mortified; Mr. Caelum had missed an event because of him? But then he caught a hint of a pleased grin and reminded himself that his boss hated Mr. Nox more than he hated carrots.

“I see. I’m glad I could be your cover story to avoid your responsibilities-” Ignis wouldn’t normally be so tart but it felt appropriate considering. Mr. Caelum’s grin widened.

“Avoiding Ravus. He’s hated me since Lunafreya dumped me in college. It’s been ten years and he’s still acting like a jackass.”

Ignis frowned slightly. “I wasn’t aware you and Ms. Nox dated. …not that it’s any of my business.” In fact he didn’t know why he’d said anything, except that they were still such good friends. He’d go so far as to say Ms. Nox was Mr. Caelum’s best friend, actually.

Mr. Caelum snorted. “Well. You were eight or nine so I don’t imagine the tabloids and articles about rich college kids were your speed then.”

“I was reading on a very advanced level at that time, I assure you.” Ignis deadpanned. “And if you don’t require me I should head home. It is getting late and-”

“I told you, take my bed.” He glanced back at Ignis, eyebrow arching. “You live forty-five minutes away? So you leave at least an hour early in the morning to get me for work.”

More than that, actually, to account for morning traffic. To say nothing of morning workout and yoga session.

“Sleep here.” Ignis opened his mouth to protest; it was inappropriate, unprofessional, he’d be imposing, he needed space so he could drown himself in peace for being such a disgrace, but Mr. Caelum waved it away. “This is coming from your boss. Sleep in my bed, Ignis. I’ll wake you up when food gets here.”

Ignis shut his mouth and, after shuffling around in the doorway for a moment, huffed and retreated to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. He crawled into the bed that wouldn’t have fit into his bedroom in his apartment, slipped under sheets that felt like heaven against his skin, and was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He woke up to food, eaten while sitting in the bed and listening to soft music in Mr. Caelum’s company. The older man wasn’t eating, just sitting and fiddling with his phone, which seemed odd but once he was full tiredness crept back up and Ignis was asleep before he could consider it too deeply.

The next time he woke up he found clothes, all in his size, so new the tags were still on them (though the prices were nowhere to be seen, which no doubt meant he didn’t want to know what they had cost), waiting for him next to the bed. They were nice, very nice, and as he brushed his fingers over the dark animal print edging the cuffs of the black blazer and faux pearl buttons, he wondered how his boss had guessed at his style. Ignis came to work in slacks, button down shirts, and the occasional waistcoat if they were going to dealing with people outside of the company, but when he could just sit and look at things that he wished he had the courage to buy…

He showered, dressed quickly, and found Mr. Caelum waiting with breakfast. He wanted to ask about the clothes, why his boss had items in his size, how he knew what he liked, if Ignis was supposed to pay him back but the words wouldn’t come. He ate his eggs in silence, took his boss to work, and went about his day as he always did.

He didn’t comment on how Mr. Caelum now called him by his name.  

—

The gifts started after that. A short email informing him that there were some stores in downtown Insomnia that knew his name and would put anything he wanted onto Mr. Caelum’s tab. When a week went past and Ignis hadn’t taken advantage there was another email, slightly longer, to the effect of ‘Go buy some new damn clothes, I’m tired of looking at the same four ties.’

Ignis somehow ended up with an entire work wardrobe from the sort of stores that brought you mimosas, had models come out in the clothes to show them off, and delivered then perfectly tailored the next day.

And then new casual clothes as well because Mr. Caelum dragged him into a store and wouldn’t allow them to leave for a crucial meeting until he gave in.

Next came a key, tossed to him on a ring at the end of the day on a Friday. “It’s to a loft in my building.” Was tossed over Mr. Caelum’s shoulder, the same as he would while talking about the weather.

He’d tried to refuse, explained he couldn’t afford to live there (though he had been looking at new apartments now that his lease was nearly up and he had the funds to support it.) Mr. Caelum informed him, rather tartly actually, that he owned the building so it was up to him to decide who could and could not afford to live there.

It was closer to work and the university and a much nicer neighborhood (he wouldn’t have to worry about the car being stolen or vandalized anymore) and it would make his life so much easier. So he moved in that weekend, with help from Prompto, Iris, Gladio at Iris’ insistence, and Mr. Caelum.

He never paid any rent.

New furniture filled his apartment over time, picked out by him but never paid for by him. He considered, one late night spent going over expense reports on his new sectional couch, sucking his boss off in thanks but ultimately decided not to do it.

They did kiss, briefly, and a new heavenly bed arrived at his apartment the next day.

He found himself invited to participate in morning yoga with Aranea and sparring with Gladio, and wasn’t sure if he was supposed to pretend not to know his ass was being ogled or not. Ignis wasn’t stupid, he knew that rich men didn’t shower people with gifts just because, that a person didn’t get a rent free loft with a view of the river and downtown just because they were a good PA, and that new clothes could cost more than money.

He knew that Mr. Caelum suddenly taking him out to pricey lunches and dinners at places that demanded a suit jacket be worn and didn’t bother putting the prices on the menus wasn’t because he was tired of Ignis’ cooking. And he was pretty sure the late nights in the penthouse that, more often than not, had him being told to sleep over even though he only lived four floors down wasn’t just out of politeness. And, certainly, the fact he spent many of those nights in Mr. Caelum’s older, stretched out shirts and threadbare sleep pants had at least a little to do with the satisfied gleam in the older man’s eyes when he saw him like that.

He did, occasionally, wake up to Mr. Caelum in the bed with him but always a respectful distance away, fully clothed and sleeping peacefully, being not creepy.

Sometimes Ignis slept without the shirt or slid closer at night to press against the man’s side, and he found new cufflinks, another opportunity to shop on the Caelum tab, and that he’d been signed up for a grocery service that brought whatever he wanted within an hour of him ordering it, and a pot, pan, and knife set to die for came shortly after.

Ignis wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Certainly he was benefiting, a lot. Certainly the man was attractive and nice and seemed to honestly enjoy doing things for him, smiled a little easier and laughed more since the gifts had started. And there hadn’t been any pressure for sex, though the man certainly touched him a lot. Mostly casual brushes when they were working together or going past each other in the hallway, but the occasional hand to the small of his back or fingers lingering on the back of his hand. But never more than that and there was where Ignis had the most trouble. It would be one thing if Mr. Caelum had demanded sex from him in return for his gifts or started being inappropriate in the office.

Then Ignis would have merely been offended and walked away from it all. He wouldn’t allow anyone to demand sex from him, ever. That would have been easy.

Or, even, if he’d approached him kindly with an offer, because then Ignis could have thought it over and weighed his options and made a reasonable decision. That too would be easy.

But the nothing, the waiting, was…it was hard. Confusing. Did the man just want to do things for him? But then why did he look at him like he wanted more?

Ignis broached the subject with Gladio, after a fashion, one day over lunch.

“Why did Mr. Caelum and Ms. Nox break up?”

Gladio blinked at him slowly then tilted his head to the side. “I am willing to answer that very strange and invasive question if you do me a favor.” Ignis nodded. “Introduce me to your friend in the mailroom properly. The cute one.”

“Prompto? …he’s a bit younger than you.” Gladio, in a rare show of a kindness, just stared at him blankly instead of calling him out on how absurd it was to say that, considering his position. Besides, Prompto had three years on Ignis so there was that at least. “Okay. Tomorrow at lunch, invite yourself along and I’ll bring Prompto.”

“Noct is maladjusted. “ Gladio said, shrugging. “His dad was always busy, like Noct is now, so he was never around but he always sent gifts. Noctis thinks a diamond necklace and flowers makes up for never being around and replaces all the squishy feeling shit. Luna wanted someone who didn’t try to pay to keep her around.”

“Ah.” Ignis said, fingering the platinum skull pendant hanging from his neck. It seemed much heavier all of a sudden.

Gladio watched him with knowing eyes. “Yep.”

—

Things came to a head eventually, as all things must.

“What is this?” Ignis asked, waving his phone in Mr. Caelum’s face. He’d burst into the man’s apartment, stormed back into his office, and knew he must look….out of sorts, in nothing but a pair of zebra print sleeping pants and that damnable necklace. He never took the thing off, far too used to the weight around his neck and the feel against his skin.

Mr. Caelum’s gaze fell to the necklace, sparked with something dark and pleased, and Ignis wished he’d pulled on a shirt. But this couldn’t wait, it was simply…too much! Wasn’t it?

Or…perhaps it was no different than everything else. All the things he was accepting, all the things he was flirting at doing more to get. He had been pushing, allowing cuddling at night and soft kisses in the morning and accepting the gifts that came from it. He didn’t feel badly for it, had thought often on doing more. 

But this seemed like so much, all at once, right in front of his face, in small black letters in his inbox, and he’d done nothing to earn it. Things that came freely didn’t make sense to him. 

Blue eyes blinked up at him. “You’re moving the phone too fast for me to see.”

“You paid my tuition for the next two semesters! I just got the receipt!”

The older man nodded. “I did. I’ll cover books too, if you need it. …how much do I pay you anyway? Enough for books? Should I pay you more?”

Ignis sputtered for a moment then slapped his phone down on the desk. Then sighed; he wasn’t upset, not really. Just…confused. “Sir, you…are incredibly generous with my pay. And the benefits. And everything else. I doubt any PA in all of Insomnia is so well compensate.”

“Good.” Mr. Caelum did indeed look very pleased with himself. “Is there anything else?”

“…at this rate I won’t need to actually work for you. You pay my rent. You paid my tuition. You have my refrigerator and cupboards stocked regularly. You provide me with a car and I even pay for gas with a company card. I don’t need to pay for anything.”

Mr. Caelum’s expression shifted, became searching and…nervous, eyes narrowing. “Is that a problem? Will you leave if I say you don’t need to work for me to keep those things?”

His breath caught in his throat and for a moment he could think of nothing to say, not even the thank you he knew was deserved. So he licked his lips, breathed out slowly, and dropped to his knees between the man’s legs.

**Author's Note:**

> There is. A lot going on here. Noctis might need a hug more than he needs a blow job but he's also fine with the blow job. Or nothing if it would keep Ignis around. And, clearly, no one has ever done anything nice for Ignis or treated him well because he assumes everything in life comes with strings. 
> 
> So it's depressing if you think about it too hard. I recommend not doing that. I might have some smut/more things in general for this later...


End file.
